EXCULPATE THE BLASTER - ROUTE E-12 - PATH TO RADIANCE
by Routes-to-Infinity
Summary: When a bright light goes out, it's too late to miss it. Everyone moves on, and that light will move on as well... changing the world wherever she can and however she can. -Exculpate the Blaster- Warning: I see Exculpate as female. If this bothers you, sorry. I was tricked into believing it, but now I can't unsee it.
1. Removal

**EXCULPATE'S REMOVAL **

_Path to Radiance - Route E-12_

**Exculpate the Blaster**

First comes the worst, and Exculpate took leaving the worst out of the three. She knew her allies pretty well, and it's **hard to leave a place where you thought you belonged.** There were no words that could possibly ever explain how she truly felt, but as her interpreter, it was only logical to try.

The time had come, and the time was too soon. Exculpate's work had truly just began, as she'd gotten the trust of many an Aichi, and was even about to find her vanguard, that long ago… she departed from. Her own Aichi went missing, and since then the quest to find him was on. Kai was important to her, yes… but he had vanished as well. In a way, it was almost as if she were searching for two vanguards at once. She wanted to apologize to both of them when she could, and make up for lost time. She wanted to see the Aichi of the original timeline grow up, and to help him in times of need… since, after all, she wasn't there to just idly sit around and do nothing. It wasn't in her character, and she wasn't about to get lazy now of all times.

Although… what she came there for in the first place… was for Blaster Blade Liberator. She was to help him grow up as well, to unlock the hidden potential within him. As a Gold Paladin, he was very strong. His relationship with the original Alfred in his timeline were strong enough to be brothers for life, not as romantic as it was awe-inspiring. He had become Blaster Blade Seeker, and finally had gotten back to where he belonged- in the Royal Paladins. Things had been finally looking up. Link Joker wasn't around anymore, and reconstruction started in several hard-hit areas, especially in the Royal Paladins' land. It was very lucky that Citadel Victoire wasn't hit too badly, since the Pure-heart Jewel Knight, Ashlei, was not there at the time of reversal. Fortunately, she was unversed by Blaster Blade Liberator… which instilled a hope even further in her that he would grow to be a fine knight. She had, in her own spare time, been talking to everyone for moral support or helping construction when she was able and not hospitalized- she owed the life she had now to the Royal Paladins and Alfred. It was the least she could do.

Yet, something was amiss. It was a troubling feeling in Exculpate's heart. Something that she would have never guessed possible, not in any of her most terrifying nightmares… but regardless of the near-impossibility that claimed her thoughts… it came to life. Her current vanguard, known as Shine… was on the verge of non-existence, and since avatars weren't able to clearly speak to one without psyqualia very well, all she could do was watch her… though she wasn't one to idly stand by. Action had to be taken… and any way she could, she was going to get to the bottom of the occurrence.

Through her connection with Blaster Blade Seeker, she tried communicating with him. The line was open, but no answer. Not one. She waited… waited… for hours, nothing was said to her, but to others… he had been ignoring her? Why? This was drastically important, and he wasn't even giving her an inch, not even a little information. This hadn't happened before… whenever there were issues, they would always talk it out. **Did he not need her anymore? Were his true colors… finally showing?**

Then, catastrophe struck. Her vanguard was planning to sever the connections she had, with **nearly everyone**. It was plea for help in disguise, ignored… by the ones she had even cared about the most. Blaster Blade Liberator… Aichi… nobody? Not even a word to be said? As much as she called out to them, nothing. This was the first time Exculpate had ever lost a sliver of hope in humanity. Not even Phantom Blaster Dragon had ever that much harm, and he had **killed** Alfred. The love of her life. Now, her vanguard would soon cease to exist as well, a taboo that was very unforgivable.

The ever-vigilant blaster was listening for any hints, until she heard something that made her go into shock. It was more than pain, it was.. appalling. Her vanguard had tried to open her heart out, even a little, just to get **silence**. Exculpate tried to communicate somehow, but… silence. She couldn't help but feel such pity, such sadness… was this the place where she belonged? Where others would do her vanguard wrong?

No. It wasn't. Day in and day out she could hear nothing but the tears and agony of her vanguard, knowing that it wasn't the place for her, and after all that time, all of the bonds she'd made over time had gotten severed. This meant that soon she would find herself back in the alternate universe as well. It wasn't as important as trying to bring her vanguard back to the light from the tainted darkness corrupting her, but she would only always do her very best to try.

Exculpate's card glowed faintly, having been abandoned in the room of her vanguard for quite sometime. At first, there was no response at all… but ever so slowly, she seemed to be coming back to the calming light more and more, much to Exculpate's relief. It was a relief to know that she was going to be alright. Internally, her vanguard wasn't alright. **That was the one thing she'd failed to notice.**

Her vanguard's time of tears had been over, but Exculpate's time was just beginning. She had every intention to ask why such a thing happened, why nothing was done. Approaching him… was not difficult, but a few meters from him, in nearly an instant, she felt herself being destroyed from the inside out. Feeling split in two as she collapsed to the ground, the crystals on her armor started to shine brightly. This meant that Nouvelle's power had either been tampered with, or, or… he no longer needed her. Gasping for air, she could only stare blankly in his direction. "**_Ames… why?"_** With only a small breath, her body faded into light. Her last sight was of Blaster Blade Liberator.

—-

_The nothingness of space… that was where Exculpate was drifting at. A sharp feeling ran through her mind, her vanguard was no longer on the mortal plane. It was awful… to lose everything all at once. Why did things have to happen this way? It could have all been averted. Before she could gather another though, the portal of space and time opened up back to where she originally was after a while of drifting. It flung her back to the point where she left, to the ground; the time had not changed at all. There was a serene breeze flowing through the area that was nearing nightfall, but the area itself was not fitting to the darker mood she found growing within her. Even the strongest of warriors have their limits too…_

—-

Slowly rising up and rubbing her head from the sudden impact, she looked around her. Yet, it hit her like a dump truck when she got to her knees, looking at the ground. No… no, no! Exculpate pounded the ground hard, tears streaming out of her face. She was having a mental breakdown. Why did it have to happen now? Why was this happening? She looked up at where Nouvelle would be… the altar of Kagero's highest mountain, unable to hold her feelings back any longer. The grass was wet with her tears from her red eyes- even more red from the constant crying. She would never have the answer, and she would never see anyone on the other side again. That universe was bound to perish eventually, because of this. THIS universe was going to collapse at some point! Crying out to the sky as she looked upwards, a croaking voice mixed with a violent gasp, she shouted his name. **"…Nouvelle!"**

Only the chosen ones could summon the god-dragon, the transcendent Nouvelle. Exculpate was one of those people… because he was the only one to ever defeat her in combat. He looked at Exculpate, a stern face that hid his very emotion… as always. The fact that the separation hurt her this badly… even though she was the United Sanctuary's strongest warrior… she was reduced to crying on the ground like a child. He couldn't help but pity the poor blaster. "This was how it had to be. Exculpate the Blaster, ever since it began, we both knew that eventually you would have to come back."

**"What about my alternate self?! I was supposed to help him become stronger, like myself, so he could shine… so he could become more than what he was before!"** She gasped between sobs, still pounding the ground as she spoke. **"But my vanguard no longer exists, and I can't go back to that… because not only have I lost trust in them, my vanguard is GONE!"**she weakly banged her fist against the ground, the loud sobbing reverberating even in the high grasslands of Kagero's peak. The fact that her alternate was capable of something like that… and she would never know why it happened.

"He is on his own now. It is your vanguard who snapped the connection, and therefore, I have nothing to say for it. I am truly sorry, Exculpate. I only wish you could have stayed as well. You lost Alfred, and now your alternate and your third vanguard… I can feel your pain. Take all the time you need, dear blaster of light. The repercussions of this I knew would be severe, so relax. It's over now… it's all over. We will start anew, even without the other universe. We will survive. The cycle goes on, and all we are able to do is move forward…"

Exculpate sniffled, slowly getting up and holding herself, eyes dilated much like a psychopath's would be. The pain came back in waves, attacking her heart like a piercing lance. To make matters worse, Phantom Blaster Dragon's spirit was constantly assailing her. Before all of this happened, she had nightmares. Nightmares of his revival. If he revived, the universe was surely doomed. How could she defeat him twice? There was so much placed on her, even now. **"We will… survive… won't we?"**

She genuinely wanted to believe it. Nouvelle nodded silently, and kneeled next to her, putting a claw on her shoulder. "We will. I promise. Not one tear shed will be unavenged, and not one cry will fail to have purpose. The United Sanctuary needs you back, and will welcome you with open arms. After all, you are OUR **Blaster Blade,** and you always will be. One of your dreams will soon come true. It is only a matter of time and patience. You aren't alone, we are with you."

His words calmed her down just slightly. It was always reassuring to know that at least someone was on her side, and that she did have a family to go back to. She had a past vanguard, even if it wasn't Aichi, even if it wasn't Kai. What if she wasn't completely gone? The hope was still there. Perhaps even if her light dimmed out, the internal light she possessed that drew the two to each other in the first place would remain **eternal.** She had friends here, too. Maybe she didn't have Alfred… but one day, in the distant future… she saw herself with him again. Was it only in her mind? The questioning echoed in her head, as she looked off the top of the mountain. The breeze was fierce, whipping her hair back and forth as Nouvelle looked on as well. The moon was starting to rise, a glimmer going across the entirety of the area as they both stared off. Exculpate powered down to **Blaster Blade**, the power leaving her for now… but right then, it didn't matter.

**They would survive, no matter what.**


	2. Backstory (1)

**BACKGROUND OF A FRAGILE BLASTER **

Path to Radiance - Route E-12

**Exculpate the Blaster (Part 2; Blaster Blade - Subpart 1)**

Andrea Illmite… ever since the day she was born, she suffered from an physical illness that gave her fainting spells and a moderate to severe physical weakness. That certain illness was called paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. To make a long explanation short… her heart rate was always high and very irregular, which caused other health problems for her— making her a near permanent resident of the Royal Paladin's Emergency Hospital, called Yggdrasil's Embrace.

This was not to be confused with just Elaine, but the idea had come from the elven race of healers with the power itself. The "Yggdrasil Maidens," as they were called, dedicated themselves to not being on the battlefield as much as they did healing, finding it more logical to support with healing powers, rather than physical power. Elaine was one of the irregulars, one who dedicated herself to healing on the battlefield… something that no Yggdrasil Maiden had ever done before. She proved to be a worthy ally to the table of knights, and they accepted her as their official battle healer. Having a pretty considerable amount of power for the section she was in, even then her powers proved to others that anything could change.

Even for Andrea. She spent most of her time in the hospital as a child, until she became old enough to have the proper procedures done in order to actually function in daily society. For a long time she would have to go to the hospital on a semi-daily to weekly basis, to be sure that her heart rate was stable. She was prone to fainting spells, and her family knew that it was highly possible that she would never have the chance to become a great warrior. Of course, Andrea never had the thought in mind that she wasn't going to one day become one of the greatest warriors there were.

Always looking outside of the walls of the hospital, she wondered about the world… she wanted to explore the world, feel the rays of sunshine down on her face as she went to play with other people her age, rather than talk with the older ones in the hospital. It proved to be a blessing for her to talk to the elderly, they all enjoyed her inquisitiveness and company… especially a certain true king of the nation that mostly everybody knew. The King of Knights, Ezer. She didn't know the reason, if it was because of his kindness and sincerity, or if it was the fact that he knew how to laugh, and had quite a funny bone. Either way, she enjoyed spending time with the older king, not even having known that he was the king until he revealed the information to her.

Upon knowing, of course Andrea had immediately apologized, not knowing that she was speaking to royalty and did a kneel on the ground, looking down in shame. Of course the King laughed a bit, before smiling at the young child, reassuring her that just because he was royalty didn't mean he had to be bowed to all the time! Royalty were humans as well, and just like anyone else, they liked to have allies to talk to; who could see them as friends. This made Andrea's face light up every time she thought about it, the reminder always there as she showed the proper respect to any form of nobility or royalty… but also a sense of friendship and compassion. This lesson would make her become close to the current King of Knights, the son of Ezer, Alfred.

Oh, how she admired him. The new king had to be almost 10 years older than her, but when they met for the first time, he had the same type of silly frame of mind that his father had. Back then, she hadn't thought she would be able to get out of the hospital, to see the world and really find a different way to speak to Alfred once more. Though, she wanted to be something to the Royal Paladins, rather than a shut-in who could do virtually nothing but to go out and pick flowers for other patients! It made them smile, yes, but she wanted to be able to have the power to change the world so all could smile. Luckily for her, that chance had certainly come once the dragon of light judgement came down for its first and likely final giveaway.

The dragon's name was Sing Saver Dragon. There were very few who could be chosen by this dragon to obtain the rare "Blaster weapons," and only the chosen ones would be able to wield the weapons that he obtained. Many Royal Paladins came to see the awe-inspiring dragon, the wings of light flapping gently as he scanned his surroundings. Andrea had heard of the event too… but she didn't want to just leave without any warning, and she left a note telling them she would be back very soon. This didn't stop the maidens who took care of her from flying into panic, going out to search for her. They had a feeling of where she went, but they only hoped they weren't right. That was because she was due for another check today… and her passing out somewhere randomly would only cause further problems for her.


	3. Backstory (2)

**BACKGROUND OF A FRAGILE BLASTER **

Path to Radiance - Route E-12

**Exculpate the Blaster (Part 2; Blaster Blade - Subpart 2)**

At this point, Andrea was 15 years old… nearly a full teenager. Going as fast as her body would allow, she rushed over to the area where the large and breathtakingly lustrous dragon stood over all, looking around as all of the excited and energetic Royal Paladins watched for true eye contact. That would be the only real way to tell if Sing Saver was going to give them a Blaster weapon. When Andrea arrived at the area… there was only one Blaster weapon left, the Blaster Blade. A blade of unlimited potential, the blade that nobody knew could bring a person to even greater heights than they were now, the blade that would show the identity of the true hero of the United Sanctuary. The masses of Royal Paladins had been cheering loudly for the chosen ones, but some calling out to the dragon in hopes of them being noticed as well. All of the ones gathered had fire in their hearts, a blazing passion for defending their people as well as forming bonds with them all…

When she managed to get her way to the front of the excited and moving group, she looked up at the dragon. For a young royal who hadn't finished growing in height yet, a dragon as large as Sing Saver and even Soul Saver Dragon seemed very large. Not imposing or scary, but simply ethereal and breathtaking. Her green eyes sparkled as she continued looking up, in a long blue gown on top of the gown given to her by the hospital. She never thought that she'd get to see one of the guardians of the sanctuary in her life, and was pleased beyond words to know that she was right in front of one. Even if Sing Saver made no contact with her, or she was taken back to the hospital, she was happy to have at least seen him, humbled by its light.

Then, her eyes widened. The dragon was looking down, in her direction. Her heart raced as in that second… she was face to face with Sing Saver Dragon as he kneeled on one knee and analyzed the child. Most of the surrounding royals gasped in shock; pure astonishment as they looked over to the person in the middle of the group: Andrea Illmite.

**"I haven't seen such a pure light within someone in a long time."** Sing Saver spoke, a calming tone to his voice as the hush of the royals made his voice seem to be louder than normal. Andrea pointed to herself just to be sure… was it her heart? As if to answer, he nodded slowly. **"I am Sing Saver Dragon, a guardian. You know that you will be the wielder of the final Blaster weapon, the Blaster Blade, correct?"**

Andrea could barely believe it. She was going to be the wielder? But how could that be possible? She was hospital-bound for likely the rest of her life, even though she had so many vivid dreams about becoming a knight… to protect others, but not only that… to change the world into a better place, one step at a time. "I…" that was all she could say, a nervous wreck. It was a dream to be able to become the wielder…

The dragon continued to speak, a smile on his face as he created a ball of pure yellow light, the light forming into the Blaster Blade itself, slowly falling to where Andrea was. "Andrea Illmite, daughter of the Illmite household… I bestow upon you the Blaster Blade. It does not matter what state you are in right now, for the Blaster Blade will respond to your emotions and willpower. I sense a great light within you… I know you will, one day, unlock its true potential. Courage is always with you, which has brought you here before me on this day. You will do the Royal Paladins well…" after he finished his speech, Andrea carefully reached for the Blaster Blade, the touch of the sword suddenly making her body glow in a white light. It was resonating with her soul, and was tying itself to it. The power of it took her into a large trance, as she froze in the pose she had.

The mass of royals all stared with amazement, clapping and cheering as the last Blaster weapon was bestowed. Of course a few of them were dissapointed, but at the same time… if you weren't a chosen one, it didn't mean that you wouldn't be able to become a great knight. Everyone had to work hard in the Royal Paladins, and there was no exception for anyone. The path to protect and becoming stronger started with the will to work as well as dutifulness to see things through to the end. Sing Saver smiled once more, wings starting to flap and creating a large gust of wind through the area, looking back up into the sky. It was time. "**Heed my words, Royal Paladins. Continue at your work, and continue being the strong and gracious protectors you were all born to be! Never give up hope, the light is always with you even in the hardest of times…"** he flew to the sky, seeming to vanish into the pillar of light that took him back to the sky.

Andrea had snapped out of her trance to see that Sing Saver was just leaving. _"Sing Saver Dragon…!"_ she yelled to the sky, clinging to the blade with a large smile on her face, "_Thank you! Thank you so much… I'll always remember this until the day I perish!"_ The mass all waved goodbye, but then looked at Andrea. She looked down a little from being seen by all of these people as… potentially the future hero of the Royal Paladins. A loud noise was heard, a chorus of trumpets and other instruments being heard to signal that the King was on his way. Still looking and admiring the blade, Andrea hadn't noticed… soon the mass all started to part horizontally to the left and right, making a clearing for the new King of Knights, Alfred. He was walking in a straight line towards Andrea, as she had noticed everyone had been moving. She blushed as she gazed at him, his calm strides and gentle smile doing everything but calming her down, but she had to act the part at least. Maybe, just maybe she'd get to fight side by side with him one day…


End file.
